When I was around 16, I spied a black and white photo in a shop window of a couple kissing in the streets of Paris. The print stopped me in my tracks. Why? Because Robert Doisneau's Kiss by the Hotel de Ville was the most beautiful image I'd ever seen.

Naturally, being a 'beyond repair' romantic, I became obsessed by it until I saved enough cash to buy it and fix it on my bedroom wall.

But that's not where it ends.

Beatrice Dalle

In addition to black and white fantasy fodder, I became infatuated with French cinema, French actors, French music, food, and fashion. I listened endlessly, as if possessed, to Edith Piaf, Yves Montand, Jaques Brel and Charles Aznavour. Didn’t have a clue about what they were singing, but I suppose the music fulfilled some longing in me.

Needless to say when I grew up, destiny placed an unsuspecting Frenchman in my path. His name was Fabrice, and just as soon as he stepped out of the black and white print, I married him. Surprised???So let's cut to the chase. What is it about France and the French? Why, indeed, are so many of us intrigued? Is it the cheese, baguette, frog’s legs, silly hats, curly moustaches, nuclear bomb testers or the sound of people speaking through their nose?

Maybe for some that's part of it, sure, but for others (like me) it comes down to this:

Peter Turnley, A love letter to Paris

People are alive here; they look at one another, they make eye contact, they appreciate the opposite sex and are not afraid to let it be known. When strolling down the boulevard with or without a partner, people will look. Men and women alike will check each other out, regardless of age, size, shape, package or color, minor details are irrelevant.When it comes to admiring the species of the opposite sex, there is no such thing as discrimination or discretion. This can be a little intimidating at first but you’ll soon get used to it. Perhaps you’ll even learn to appreciate it, especially if you are of a certain age. Let’s face it; in most other parts of the world, any woman (or man for that matter) past the age of 30 becomes invisible. Know what I mean?

Not so in France. Here, people are in touch with their bodies, comfortable in their skin. This can be good and bad. Good because it’s refreshing and bad as it can make you feel as though you're having a permanent ‘out of your own body’ experience - and that you may never find your way 'back' unless perhaps a French person shows you the way.

Jean Dujardin doing what he does best

If you’re not used to it, experiencing this kind of attention can make you feel like a first time visitor - not only to the country but also to yourself. It can feel a little threatening - and not because the French are a stunningly beautiful race. Au contraire! But what they lack in stature they make up in confidence, which is why we’re fascinated.

Much more than a 'moving guide', Living in France Made Simple is a compilation of fragments. Fragments of a long story of how I came to be free. But it's more than simply my story; it's a blueprint consisting of information that’s taken me years to accumulate.

That being said, if you really want to live in France and you are looking for a new kind of freedom, take my hand. As some wise person once said, there’s no time like the present. And there’s no culture that better understands the beauty of the present moment.